Just as he was about to start walking again, he saw it. A shadow darted behind the car. It was slightly larger than a dog.

Alex: I’ve seen you, you shit!

He shouted as he ran toward the car, but whatever it was leapt into the bushes and disappeared.

It might have been a dog, he thought, though the unease lingered.

When Alex got home, he told Ellie about the encounter. They agreed it was better if she waited at the door and went with a couple neighbors. If no one was going, she could stay. They had enough food to last more than a month now, even if it meant eating mostly pasta and rice.

21:12:

A new earthquake struck. It was far more violent than the earlier ones. Once again, nothing broke, but the power went out for a couple of minutes before the building’s generators kicked in. Internet, TV, and phones didn’t come back, though.

Alex decided to retrieve his camping gear from the building’s storage area, just in case. He took the stairs—better safe than sorry if the lights failed again. He passed a few people on the stairs, but no one spoke.

Once in storage, he found his camping toolbox. It contained wind-up flashlights, candles, matches, and several other useful items. He grabbed the box and began heading back to the stairs when a scream shattered the silence.

Alex: Hey! Are you okay?

No one answered. Instead, he heard a faint clattering sound near the door. His grip tightened on the katana as he unsheathed it and approached cautiously. The way to the stairs looked clear.

Then he saw it.

The ramp leading out of the garage was completely blocked by a massive spiderweb. Standing in the web were several spiders like the one he and Javier had killed before.

Alex froze, his camping toolbox slipping from his hands.

Shit.

He started running toward the stairs, only 15 meters away. But just as he was about to reached them, he saw something huge above the door.

Another spider.

Its abdomen was spherical, about a meter in diameter. The front part of its body was half that size, but its legs were massive. The creature stood over 1.5 meters tall (5 feet) and carried a man impaled on its spiked forelegs. The man’s body hung limply, blood dripping onto the ground.

The spider hissed, and Alex’s breath hitched. The door to the stairs was now covered in thick webbing, more like heavy ropes than a normal web. The spider  stuck the man onto the web before turning its attention to Alex.

He’s probably dead, Alex thought grimly.

The spider hissed again and began moving toward him.

Alex turned and ran back the way he came. He could hear the creature’s claws clattering on the ground behind him. He was about to trap himself, but he had no other choice—he needed a plan.

If I can fool it and circle back to the stairs, I might cut the web with the katana.

The parking garage was shaped like a “C,” so he ducked behind a car after turning a corner. If it walks through the center, I can rush between the cars and get to the stairs.

But the spider didn’t walk through the center.

It climbed a car, almost effortlessly and then on to the ceiling.

From its vantage point, it spotted Alex and dropped from the ceiling with terrifying speed. Alex watched in horror as it landed on the ground and charged at him.